Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Cox. I first say that all of us—well, I hope all of us—remain appalled by what occurred at Juukan Gorge. Obviously there has been quite a lot on in politics and policy over some time, but I did see reporting of a further problem in terms of activities by Rio Tinto.

The advice I have is that the government is continuing to work on reforms. When we first responded to the Juukan Gorge inquiries we committed to reforming national heritage protection laws in partnership with the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance, which is a group that was established after Juukan and that is made up of over 30 First Nations groups. Obviously it's very important that this is done right. The process is underway. I hope that there is, as I'm advised, really thorough and thoughtful consultation, because there should be. The process is in the early stages. The government will also be consulting with business, farmers, environment groups and many others as we go.

The minister has indicated that she is also concerned that the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation have said that a rock shelter at Mount Tom Price mine is now in a fragile state. I am advised that the minister has written to Rio Tinto about comments made by traditional owners about Rio Tinto's blast management procedures and has asked the corporation to address their concerns. There is no federal government application for emergency protection of the site.